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Show FAMOUS WAR PAINTER j WENT DOWN WITH FLAGSHIP. Had Visited Port Arthur to Gather Fresh Materials for His Brush. Voreslchagln Has Depicted Some of the Most Stirring Tragedies. Ho Went to War, Pouglit Like a Hero and Won Renown on Field and in Studio. ST. PETERSBURG, April 17. Vassill Vcrcotchagln, tho Russian painter, who is roportod to lwvo boon klllivd" with Admiral Makaroff In battlo at Port Arthur, woo tho greatest of modem battlo painters. His works aro famous throughout tho world. Both tho man and hlo works were well Iniown in the United Statos, ho having held exhibitions exhibi-tions In Chicago and othor lcaxllng cities and painted, among other portraits, that of Prceldont Koosovclt. At tho time of death ho was a guest of tho' "Coseack of tho Sea," securing material for battlo scenes of Ukj Russlan-Japanoao wnr. In youth Verestchagln was continually surprising his paronto with drawings ho mado of scenes, people nnd animals around and about the old family chateau, but his father, a man of old-foahloncd and conservative views, decided on a military career for young Vossill nnd sont him to the governmont military school hi St. Petersburg. Pet-ersburg. It was tlicro that he developed Into a painter of battles. Ho took a deep Interest in ovcrytblng bearing on the subject sub-ject of war. but at tho simo timo began taking lessons In art. Goes to War and Becomes Famous. On reaching- his seventeenth year ho lcit tho military 30I100I, devoting bis timo and energies to art. to tho great disappointment disappoint-ment of his family. Youn.r Verostchaght Htudled under tho best mastcrw in Bt. Pe- i tornburg and under Q6rome In Paris, devoting de-voting liimsolf altogether to military sub-Jccta. sub-Jccta. At that time Russia had Just begun tho work of extending Dior omplro cunt and south. General Kauffnmn undertook tho 1 conquost of Tartary. Bokhara and tho Pa-mire, Pa-mire, pushing tho Russian domain up to tho very gato of India. Ver03tchagln accompanied ac-companied the expedition, remaining throughout the campaign. Tho two paintings paint-ings that made him famous, tho "Klrkhez Head Hunters" and "Russians Surprint byTartars," were tho result of this trip. Thoy wero oxCalbitod In London In 1870, creating a ponsatlon and capturing the highest award. Ono Painting Shows Own Battle The first is a lifc-slzo painting of a group of wild Klrkhez Tartars, who havo ridden down and captured soma Russians, whoso heads they aro carrying as trophies back to their encampment. Tho other r&prc-sents r&prc-sents an action In which tho artist was personally engaged. Biding one day with an advance guard of cavalrv and taking hasty sketches ot tho central Asia topography, topog-raphy, they word suddenly surrounded and C.US ,,T ,by a ,arS b01' of Tartar cavalry A bloody engagement followed, both sldos fighting desperately, for in this campaign neither side gavo quarter. The artist was thrown to tho ground and aImot klllc-d as a result of his hors being shot and killed whllo running at full Hpcod. The result of this was he was cut off from t&ie command, along with one of his friends, an officer of tho detachment, who had boon aerioualy wounded and had fallen from his horse. Vcroctchogin stunned, his faco covored with blood sprang to his foot and standing over tho prostrate form of tho wounded officer emptied two revolvers at the mob of howling how-ling Tartars closing in on them, bringing down a savago at every shot. The tinwly appearance on the sceno of the main column col-umn was all that saved tho pair. Depicts American. Battles. Yorestchagin was in tho -Philippines during tho American campaign against Uio Insurgents, and painted striking pic-lures pic-lures of scenes he witnessed, the most striking of which aro "The Battle of Za-poato Za-poato Bridge. ' "You Aro Hit. Sergeant? f'lrC and "ruo Letter Lies Unfinished. Unfin-ished. The last of these three represents a, death scene which tho ortiaL witnessed In Manila. An American soWlcr, lyimr palo and omaclatcd in a hospital cot has undertaken to dictate to one of the nurses a letter to his parents In America. He dies before tho letter is finished. Tho nii turo shows him making one lonff. last struggle to utter one moro sentence that may be important. Tho nurso has Just discovered his death struggle, and. holding hold-ing tho writing material In her left hand feels lals pulso with the right, as though' In doubt as to his sudden declino A trifle over six feet tall, with 'clear-cut prollle. largo hazel eyes and a long' natrl-arohal natrl-arohal beard. M Vorestcliairfn present a perfect typo of that roc which stands andU thWoIt1" ,lnk belTVC:n Ul Orient When he exhibited his paintings in Chicago Chi-cago in December. 1901 five galleries In tho south wing of the Art instltuto were required to accommodato them |